What is a bridge course?
NOTE: The department will cease offering IT 193, IT 194, and IT 196 bridge courses after summer 2023.
Bridge courses are 1-credit courses that were designed as a way to “bridge the gap” between the content taught at students’ prior institution and the content required for the BS, Information Technology, at Mason.
Students who register for a 1-credit bridge course, and successfully pass with a grade of “C” or better, will receive credit (not a waiver) for the full respective course. Students who are not successful must take the respective course at Mason to meet their degree requirements.
The following bridge courses are available (in summer semesters only):
- IT 191 – Review of Computing Fundamentals [Respective Course: IT 104]
- IT 193 – Review of Multimedia and Web Design [Respective Course: IT 213]
- IT 194 – Review of Database Fundamentals [Respective Course: IT 214]
- IT 196 – Review of IT Problem Solving Using Computer Programming [Respective Course: IT 106]
Students may find each bridge course to be very challenging! Only students with a solid foundation of the content covered in their prior institution's course should attempt to complete a bridge course. Bridge courses are not intended to replace the full content and experience gained from completing its 3-credit respective course. Students should consult with the bridge course faculty member or an advisor if they are unsure if they should register for the 1-credit bridge course or its 3-credit respective course.
Bridge Courses Details
Eligibility
To be eligible to register for a bridge course, students must meet the following criteria:
- be a student admitted to Mason and have a G Number
- have transferred IT elective credit (denoted as IT – – –) for the comparable course
- never have taken the bridge course previously, even if you withdrew from it without completing it (you can only register for each review course once)
- never have taken the respective course previously at Mason, even if you withdrew from it without completing it
| NVCC Course | + | Bridge Course | = | Mason Course |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITD 256 | + | IT 194 | = | IT 214 |
| ITE 115 or CSC 110 | + | IT 191 | = | IT 104 |
| ITE 170 | + | IT 193 | = | IT 213 |
| ITP 120 | + | IT 196 | = | IT 106 |
Grading
Students who attempted bridge courses prior to spring 2018: The grade you earned in the bridge course(s) will remain in your CGPA forever.
Students who took bridge courses in spring 2018-present: If the grade earned in the bridge course is a C-, D, or F, you are eligible for a grade replacement in the CGPA, upon completion of the full course (IT 104, IT 106, IT 213, or IT 214). This is managed internally by the department, and will be reflected in your degree evaluation and transcript at the end of the semester(s) in which the full course(s) has been graded.
Registration
Registration for bridge courses is controlled by the department and an override is required.
If you meet all of the eligibility requirements shown above, you will need to request a registration override.
If the respective VCCS course has not been evaluated yet by Transfer Admissions and applied to your account, please email bsit@gmu.edu after you submit the override request and include a screen shot or PDF of your unofficial transcript showing that the course has been graded.
The department will cease offering IT 193, IT 194, and IT 196 bridge courses after summer 2023.